Ever Wonder about those Board Members?

A while back while on a paddling trip in Mexico, I played an interesting game with the other paddlers on the trip. In this game we each wrote down something about ourselves that people might be surprised to learn. We then dropped all the snippets into a hat and drew them out one at a time. The game was then to figure out which factoid went with which paddler. What I learned is that people will surprise you and that a little info about someone can open up a whole new conversation.

So lets see if you can figure out which factoid below goes with which board member.

Email your guess to commodore@lpbc.net by 11-07-07. I'll bring all the correct answers to the Free Booze & Sand In Your Shoes Party and we 'll do a drawing from all the correct answers, the winner will get an LPBC sweatshirt.

1. A: This board member once caught a large snapping turtle while fishing with waxworms when on vacation in Canada
2. This board member went to a college that doesn't allow students to drink or dance
3. This board member played bass guitar with John Lee Hooker, AND attended the March on Washington, August 28, 1963, where Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech
4. This board member used to tap dance competitively and once had a job washing dogs
5. This board member rode down the bobsled run in Lake Placid with the US Bobsled team during their fall training.
6. This board member served as a Corporal in the Marine Corps during Desert Storm/Shield
7. This board member advance to the poetry slam ¼ final competition to become a member of the Chicago slam team and compete in the National Poetry Slam
8. This board member voluntarily leapt out of an airplane in flight, luckily, while strapped to a “cute” instructor with a parachute.
9. This board member has dropped out of sight and could not be contacted to contribute a story. Milk cartons with the board member's likeness are being printed presently.
   

Now that you have the facts, try to match them with the board member below.

What’s with the crazy checkerboard square of tape on the kayaks?

We are trying a bold experiment. We have marked each boat with a very prominent swatch of colored tape. The tape is on the side of the hull just a little forward of the cockpit. This colored tape is intended to indicate where in the boathouse the boat should be stored. There is corresponding tape affixed to the boat racks. The hope is that when you use a boat you will return it to the rack with the corresponding tape color.

To take it even a step further, the tape has been deliberately placed on one side of the hull only. We would like to see the boat go back in the rack so that the side with the tape is facing out toward the isle.

You may be asking yourself, why go to all this trouble? Well there are a couple things we’re trying to achieve.

• Busy boats nearest the door
  The Prijons that we use for classes and that are familiar beginner boats to many have been racked nearest the door. These boats get the most use so we want to make them the easiest to get in and out of the house
  
  
• Locating your favorite boat
  I frequently see members coming into the boathouse and searching high and low to find the specific boat that they have grown comfortable in. By racking the boats in the same location we can reduce the amount of time spent searching for the boat you’re after.
  
  
• Reduced wear and tear
  We’ve added a number of ruddered boats to our fleet. Rudders tend to be more easily damaged so we’ve tried to organize the boats so that the rudders don’t get crossed up from one rack to the next. Putting the boats into the rack in a particular direction (tape facing out toward the isle) will help prevent rudders from damage
  
  
• Inventory
  Doing inventory and repairs is made significantly easier when we can find a boat in a specific rack rather than digging through all the racks.
  
  
• Big heavy tanks go on the floor
  The tandems and some of the sit on tops are especially heavy. These boats should always go on the bottom rack so that they can be easily moved without having to lift them and to prevent undue stress on the racks.

So that’s the story on the tape. If you have questions or suggestions for improving the system, please let the House Director know.

Safety reminder for paddlers

As the water and the air start to cool down, safety on the water becomes more important. Proper precautions need to be taken to insure that you are prepared to handle these colder conditions.

As a general rule, you can remember the 100 degree rule if the combined air and water temp are less than 100 degrees than protective clothing such as a wet suit or a dry suit should be worn if you’ll be paddling on the lake.

Also it is extremely important that you carry and know how to use a paddle float. The water temp is currently below 60 and extended immersion in this could water can be very dangerous. It is imperative that you have the tools and the skills to get back in you boat quickly before hypothermia becomes a risk

And finally, please be sure to fill out the paddling log book COMPLETELY! If there were ever a need to search for a missing paddler, have good, accurate information in the log book regarding the boat description, paddler apparel and the destination of your trip could save a life.